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LONGLEY: Defiant Vlad Guerrero Jr. won't apologize, lashes out, setting stage for off-season (bleep) show

"I don't regret myself," Guerrero told reporters in Baltimore

Published Sep 23, 2026  •  Last updated 1 hour ago  •  4 minute read

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays. Photo by Vaughn Ridley /Getty Images

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The uninspiring Blue Jays season ended with a thud Wednesday afternoon in Baltimore, the math finally rendering its verdict as the reigning American League champs lapsed into a 4-0 hole and didn’t have the heart to recover.

And then, thanks to the $500-million man who has become the flashpoint for so much of went wrong in this dreadful 2026, it got worse.

As the Jays were softly being eliminated via a 4-2 loss to the Orioles in the first game of a doubleheader, the baseball world was flaring up with Vlad Guerrero Jr.’s defiant assertion that the Jays “didn’t pay me because I’m going to hit 40 (home runs) every year.”

Even if there is some truth to that assertion, it was not what the fan base, nor the front office, nor his teammates, needed to hear.

And it guaranteed that as excruciating as the regular-season was, the off-season will now officially be a (crap) show.

With allowances for lost sentiments in translation — the original interview was with Spanish-language podcaster Veronica Batista — Guerrero was in no mood to apologize as the end of the worst season of his big-league career neared.

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In fact, he defiantly doubled down, comments that are sure to further escalate what he had started.

“No, I don’t regret myself,” Guerrero told reporters in Baltimore between games of the doubleheader (as translated by interpreter Hector Lebron. “I understand some fans, they don’t understand what I was trying to say specifically, but what I said is the way I feel.”

Predictably — and not necessarily rationally — a coast-to-coast fan base was ablaze in anger. And here’s where Guerrero’s honesty, as imprudent and untimely it was in this issue, escalated deep into distraction mode.

The sentiment shared by the 27-year-old all-star first baseman isn’t necessarily the problem. The fact that Guerrero’s plight — and expectations for a rebound will be off the charts — only adds testiness to what already figures to be a tumultuous off-season for the Jays, for however long it lasts.

That it all exploded on a day the team was eliminated by the latest loss in a half-hearted September only exacerbated the situation.

In the podcast episode with Batista, which will be released in its entirety on Oct. 4, Guerrero went viral with his comments, made in Spanish.

“I want people to understand one thing,” Guerrero said. “The money they gave me wasn’t for what I’m going to do. It was for what I already did. They didn’t pay me because I’m going to hit 40 every year.

“They paid me for what I already accomplished. People are confused about that, but I think the same way they do. Like, sometimes I even say to myself: bro, they gave you all that money and you’re out here doing nothing. I try.”

Before rushing to judge, there is certainly room for interpretation. The Jays certainly don’t expect Guerrero to hit 40 homers every year and yes, that contract came from the immense potential he had shown through his first five big-league seasons.

The difficulty, though, is that the fan base is already on edge with the superstar face of the franchise. And finishing the first year of the contract without reaching double digit homers — a real possibility — doesn’t sit well with many.

In the interview with Batista, Guerrero also acknowledged that he is well aware of fan angst when they shower boos his way.

Guerrero’s intent may have been in the right place. He’s a passionate player, who wears his heart on his sleeve. He also made the point that he’s incredibly frustrated with his season, context that is important.

The issue of perception is far bigger than that. Guerrero is coming off easily the worst season of his career, a frustrating, steaming mess offensively.

That means that season two of the historic 14-year contract carries massive weight for all the relevant parties — Rogers, Vlad, the fans, and the Jays themselves.

Priority No. 1 of the off-season is to figure out why Guerrero’s struggles were so profound in this last year of so much expectation. Jays management will be involved, but the onus will be on Guerrero to fix what ails and regain the swagger that made him one of the most feared hitters in the league.

That was always going to be the case, but now the noise is amplified, the pressure ratcheted even more. And for a fan base already taken to booing him at the Rogers Centre, right or wrong, the start of 2027 will at least feel as though it’s all about Vlad.

On a terrible day for the franchise, the emergence of the face of the franchise’s deepest thoughts on Wednesday was a horrible way to pile on to the misery.

1. 
   Guerrero: 'They didn’t pay me because I’m going to hit 40 every year'
2. 
   Blue Jays officially eliminated from AL wild-card race with loss to Orioles

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